T. C. Yohannan
Encyclopedia
Thadathuvila Chandapillai Yohannan (born 19 May 1947), better known as T. C. Yohannan, is a former India
n long jumper who held the national record in long jump
for nearly 3 decades and represented India in the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
, Canada
. He hails from the state of Kerala
. Yohannan will be known for the new dimension he gave to long jump in India in 1974, the occasion was the Teheran Asian Games
of 1974. Yohannan cleared a distance of 8.07 metres at the Teheran Asian Games for a new Asian record. That one leap, into history gave Yohannan a permanent place not only in the record books but in the annals of the Indian athletics. It was a performance rated at par with that of Milkha Singh
's record breaking run in the Rome Olympics
.
village in Kollam district
of Kerala
on 19 May 1947, Yoahnnan had his early feel of athletics in the Inter-School Meets for Ezhukone
Panchayat in 1964. He joined the public sector Bhilai Steel Plant
, wherein he represented his Plant in the Steel Plants Sports Meet in 1969 and in the same year, had his first experience of athletics at the national level. He finished fourth in the long Jump and fifth in the triple jump. He progressed to the second spot in the long jump event of the Nationals in 1970 and then matured to set a national mark of 7.60 metres in Patiala in 1971.
catapulted him into Asian and national limelight. He was invited to Japan the next year and won gold medals in competition's at Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kobe and then repeated his success in championships in the Philippines and Sibu City. His last fling at international competition was at the Montreal Olympics
in 1976. He hung up his shoes after that.
A diploma holder in Mechanical Engineering
, Yohannan presently works as Assistant Public Relations Officer with the automobile giant TELCO
.
in 1974, he has received numerous other awards which include a merit award from the Government of Kerala
and the TelcoVeer" award by his employers. He has also been honoured by the Bombay and Chennai Sports Journalists Association, Lions Club
, Sportsweek and the Tata Sports Club of Bombay.
He is the father of former Indian cricketer
Tinu Yohannan
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n long jumper who held the national record in long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
for nearly 3 decades and represented India in the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He hails from the state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Yohannan will be known for the new dimension he gave to long jump in India in 1974, the occasion was the Teheran Asian Games
1974 Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was made for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time...
of 1974. Yohannan cleared a distance of 8.07 metres at the Teheran Asian Games for a new Asian record. That one leap, into history gave Yohannan a permanent place not only in the record books but in the annals of the Indian athletics. It was a performance rated at par with that of Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh is an Indian athlete, who represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo...
's record breaking run in the Rome Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
.
Early life
Born at KundaraKundara
Kundara a fast re-emerging industrial town is set to become a satellite town of Kollam city Kollam district of Kerala, India. A former industrial center of Kollam district it had major industries as - KEL, Kerala Ceramics, Aluminium Industries Ltd...
village in Kollam district
Kollam district
-Climate:Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around...
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
on 19 May 1947, Yoahnnan had his early feel of athletics in the Inter-School Meets for Ezhukone
Ezhukone
-Demographics: India census, Ezhukone had a population of 23741 with 11414 males and 12327 females....
Panchayat in 1964. He joined the public sector Bhilai Steel Plant
Bhilai Steel Plant
Bhilai Steel Plant, located in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, is India's only producer of steel rails, and is a major producer of steel plates and structural components.This steel plant was set up with the help of the USSR in 1955...
, wherein he represented his Plant in the Steel Plants Sports Meet in 1969 and in the same year, had his first experience of athletics at the national level. He finished fourth in the long Jump and fifth in the triple jump. He progressed to the second spot in the long jump event of the Nationals in 1970 and then matured to set a national mark of 7.60 metres in Patiala in 1971.
Career
Selected to represent India in an international in Singapore, he won Gold Medals in both the long and triple jump. In 1972 he added the national triple jump title to his bag. His 7.78 metre jump created a new national record in 1973. The fabulous effort of 8.07 metres in the 1974 Teheran Asian Games1974 Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was made for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time...
catapulted him into Asian and national limelight. He was invited to Japan the next year and won gold medals in competition's at Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kobe and then repeated his success in championships in the Philippines and Sibu City. His last fling at international competition was at the Montreal Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in 1976. He hung up his shoes after that.
A diploma holder in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, Yohannan presently works as Assistant Public Relations Officer with the automobile giant TELCO
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
.
Awards and honors
Besides the national honour conferred on him in the form of Arjuna AwardArjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 1974, he has received numerous other awards which include a merit award from the Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
and the TelcoVeer" award by his employers. He has also been honoured by the Bombay and Chennai Sports Journalists Association, Lions Club
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
, Sportsweek and the Tata Sports Club of Bombay.
He is the father of former Indian cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
Tinu Yohannan
Tinu Yohannan
Tinu Yohannan is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed fast medium bowler. He plays first class cricket for Kerala. He is the first Kerala Ranji player to play Test and one day cricket for India....